And to the Edge of the Earth: Day 8

Yesterday we went as far west as we could and then turned south.  We started in Roseville with family, stopped at a Spanish mission, a fisherman's wharf, and wound our way down the California coast on the historic Highway 1.  We had planned to camp at Gaviota State Park outside of Santa Barbara, but the winds were gusting at 45+ mph, which made it impossible for us to set up our tent.  After searching for about an hour for a hotel, we settled into one closer into Santa Barbara for the night.

As we drove from Roseville, south of San Francisco we saw signs for the mission at San Jose.  We stopped in and explored the museum and the church.  We learned much about the mission system, the evangelization efforts of the Franciscan fathers, and some of their mistakes in equating Christianity with being a good Spaniard.  It was cool to see how Christianity came to the West Coast.  We're hoping to stop at another mission before our trip is done.

Further on Highway 101 is Monterey, a beautiful bay that lets out into the Pacific Ocean.  We walked along the Fisherman's Wharf there, saw sea lions, seagulls and pelicans hanging around, and then took a walk up to San Carlos beach.  We got to touch the waters of the Pacific, and Mandy was very excited about that!

As we left Monterey, we left the 101 and drove along Highway 1.  This road hugs the rugged hills of the West Coast.  We were privileged to see so much of the ocean and the coast.  It repeatedly took our breath away.  Oh, and there are cows out grazing on the golden hills along the coast.  Who knew?  Must be why happy cows come from California; they get a vacation at the beach.

For dinner, we stopped in Pismo Beach at the Splash Cafe.  We ate fish tacos and world famous clam chowder made with Pismo Beach fresh clams; it was very yummy.  The place had a cool atmosphere; very beachy with 50s music playing over the loudspeakers.  It felt a lot like the beach towns of San Diego, a preview of coming attractions.

For only the second time in this whole trip we ended up driving at night.  We pulled into our campsite around 9pm and found that there were high winds whipping through the area.  We sat in the car as it rocked from side to side, and watched the tent next to our campsite be flattened several times. At that point, we decided that we would try to find a hotel.  After a few failed tries, we found one close to Santa Barbara and turned in for the night.




Today is the final day of our trip. We're hoping to keep going along the coast, see a few more landmarks, and then make it to our destination in the evening.